AFP news

The Bank of England was widely expected to cut its key interest rate on Thursday to help support weak British growth even if UK inflation stays elevated.

Last month was the hottest January on record, Europe's climate monitor said Thursday, despite expectations that cooler La Nina conditions might quell a streak of record-breaking global temperatures.

South Korean ministries and police said Thursday they were blocking DeepSeek's access to their computers, after the Chinese AI startup did not respond to a data watchdog request about how it manages user information.

Thousands of survivors held torchlit vigils across southern Turkey at 4:17 am Thursday, expressing pain and anger as they marked the exact moment two years ago when a devastating earthquake struck that led to the deaths of over 53,000 people in Turkey and some 6,000 in Syria.

Google parent company Alphabet has stopped making diversity and inclusion a workplace priority, according to a filing Wednesday with US regulators.

Argentina said Wednesday it will quit the World Health Organization, following in the footsteps of Donald Trump's United States and citing similar complaints over the UN body's management of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Myanmar's junta failed in an attempt to auction Aung San Suu Kyi's lakeside mansion on Wednesday, with no bids submitted for the former democracy leader's home -- the third time the sale has flopped.

Philippine lawmakers on Wednesday voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte, who has fallen out spectacularly with the country's leader, paving the way for a Senate trial that could see her removed from office.

Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are to disconnect from the Russian power grid on Saturday, a politically-charged move that severs their Soviet-era energy ties with Moscow.

Wild monkeys egged on by YouTubers have been rampaging at Cambodia's famed Angkor Wat complex, attacking tourists, wrecking temple stonework and damaging information boards, officials said Wednesday.

Sweden reeled Wednesday from the deadliest mass shooting in its history after 10 people plus the suspected gunman were killed in a shooting at an adult education centre in the central city of Orebro.

India's Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a ritual river dip on Wednesday at the world's largest religious festival, a week after a stampede killed at least 30 pilgrims.

Beijing accused the United States Wednesday of "suppression" after its postal service said it was suspending parcels from China and Hong Kong, a move that could hit e-commerce giants Temu and Shein.

Nissan shares plunged on Wednesday as reports said the struggling Japanese carmaker was walking away from merger talks with rival Honda.

Google on Tuesday updated its principles when it comes to artificial intelligence, removing vows not to use the technology for weapons or surveillance.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is expected on Wednesday to survive a no-confidence vote in parliament, winning some breathing space after less than two months in office but by no means ensuring his long-term future.

Holding long-term global warming to two degrees Celsius -- the fallback target of the Paris climate accord -- is now "impossible," according to a stark new analysis published by leading scientists.

The US Treasury said Tuesday that Elon Musk's government reform team can read data from its highly sensitive payment system but not alter it, after Democratic lawmakers raised the alarm over the move and called for an investigation.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed an offer by El Salvador to take in prisoners -- including US citizens -- despite clear legal problems with such an outsourcing under American law.

As Elon Musk and his aides take control of the US Treasury's payments system, the drastic job cuts and other shake-ups he instituted on buying Twitter may offer a preview of what government workers can expect.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order withdrawing Washington from a number of United Nations bodies, including its Human Rights Council (UNHRC), and setting up a broader review of US funding for the multilateral organization.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday lashed out at authoritarian left-wing regimes in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, accusing them of being "enemies of humanity" and of causing a regional migration crisis.

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa visits Ankara on Tuesday for talks with Turkey's leaders on rebuilding his land and the volatile issue of Kurdish fighters near the countries' border.

China has made good on its threats to retaliate in the escalating trade war with the United States, imposing tariffs on American imports of energy, cars and machinery parts.

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will meet President Donald Trump on a visit to the United States this week, top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday.

Swiss banking giant UBS said it remained on track to substantially wrap up its mega-merger with Credit Suisse by the end of 2026, after once again posting better-than-expected quarterly results on Tuesday.

China on Tuesday said it would probe US tech giant Google over violations of anti-monopoly laws after Washington slapped 10 percent levies on Chinese goods.

OpenAI chief Sam Altman signed a deal with tech giant Kakao in South Korea on Tuesday as the US firm seeks new alliances after Chinese rival DeepSeek shook the global AI industry.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet President Donald Trump on Tuesday, as Israel and Hamas say they are ready for negotiations on a new phase in their fragile Gaza ceasefire.